


In Which Aleyn and Kallista Attend an Orgy

by Nary, Porn Writing Platypus (Malkontent)



Category: Adventure World (game)
Genre: Alternative Sexuality, Anonymous Sex, Boys Kissing, Drinking, F/F, F/M, Fondling, Friendship, Identity Issues, M/M, Making Out, Masks, Multi, Oral Sex, Orgy, Past Abuse, Relationship Issues, Relationship(s), Religion, Ritual Sex, Sexual Identity, Sexuality, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2013-11-29
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:04:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malkontent/pseuds/Porn%20Writing%20Platypus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kallista and Aleyn attend the full moon ceremony at the temple of Sehanine, where music, drink, and semi-anonymous sex abound. Somewhere amid the teeming masses of revelers both find something they need, even if it's not what they ever would have guessed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Which Aleyn and Kallista Attend an Orgy

The last few rays of the setting sun were disappearing across the river as the human and the tiefling approached the temple of Sehanine in Shadeside. The city was still alive with activity, and around them people went about their evening business, hardly paying any attention to the robed couple.

As they came upon the temple they could see that a few stragglers were standing outside, some of them smoking and laughing, others trying their best to look unhurried about proceeding inside. An Eladrin mother and her two small children passed by on the opposite side of the street. One of the children tugged on his mother's sleeve.

"Mummy... why are all those people at the temple?"

The woman sighed and hurried her children along.

"I'll tell you when you're older, dear."

Kallista grinned and adjusted the thick white cloak around her shoulders. It was heavy and woolen, quite warm for the late summer weather, but she was a tiefling, and being too hot had never once been a problem for her. Besides, its main function was covering up what she was wearing underneath.

"So, do we just... go in?" she asked as they neared the arch-covered path that lead to the temple. The temple itself was really more of a large facade, covering the real structure, which was carved into the side of the mountain that Highmark was built on.

"Well, if I was just going by myself, I usually wouldn't go in the front door," Aleyn told her, "but since I'm bringing a guest, yes - we can just walk in. It'll give me a chance to introduce you to people."

Kallista laughed. Together they crossed through the wrought iron archway and up to the open doors of the temple.

“So you’re saying you’ll only go in the front entrance for me?”

“That was... not what I meant,” Aleyn said, but smirked back at her.

Just inside the doors, several robed priests stood to greet the new arrivals. One held a basket containing plain, unadorned half-masks, while another had a bowl containing some sort of silvery paint. Another pair were assisting guests at the cloakroom, for those who wished to remove their outer garments.

The young curly-haired elven woman with the paint gave a cheerful squeal on seeing Aleyn, and delivered a one-armed hug. "Ah, sorry, I don't want to spill, but, you're back!"

"Sorry I missed last month," he told her. "Work, you know."

"Sure, we heard you were out of town," she said with a broad smile. "It's fine, but we did miss you. And you brought a friend!" she added, turning her smile on Kallista.

“Hi!” the tiefling said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, “I’m Kallista. I’m one of Aleyn’s teammates. It’s ummm... it’s my first time here.” 

“Well, welcome, it’s lovely to meet you,” the priestess said. “You can call me Mari.” 

“Some people might prefer to go nameless tonight,” Aleyn warned Kallista, “but feel free to introduce yourself anyway, if you like - just don’t be offended if they don’t reciprocate. I guess you won’t be wanting a mask either,” he said with a wave to the older woman holding the basket. “Not everyone does, but some people feel more comfortable that way.”

“And we do our best to make people comfortable,” Mari added with a grin. “As hopefully you’ll find out soon. Are you mixing drinks for us tonight?” she asked Aleyn.

“If that’s where I can be most help, then sure,” Aleyn said brightly.

“He makes amazing drinks,” Mari assured Kallista. “Although maybe you know that already, getting to travel with him and everything.” 

“I actually didn’t know that,” Kallista said with a crooked smile at her friend, “I’ve been learning all sorts of fun new things about him. Hopefully I’ll learn a few more before the night’s over.”

With a smooth gesture, Kallista slid open her cloak, unfastening it from around her neck. Beneath it, she wore only a tight black bodice that barely covered her ample breasts, and a short skirt with long black stockings over her fiery red legs. 

“Maybe he’ll learn some things about me, too,” she said with a wink.

"Uh... here, let me take that for you," Aleyn said, after blinking for a moment. He whisked her cloak away to the cloakroom.

Mari giggled. "I like your bodice," she told Kallista. "The robes are nice, and we can wear whatever we want under them, but it does mean we don't get to show off our clothes as much." She winked. "At least, not until later, usually, and by then, no one cares."

Kallista grinned.

“Well, I for one hope I’ll get a chance to see what you’re wearing under yours.”

She shot Mari a wink and turned to see Aleyn in the process of handing her robe over to the cloakroom attendants. 

“He’s adorable when he’s all flustered.” She turned back to Mari. “And don’t worry, I know he’s... otherwise inclined. I just like to tease him.”

Mari nodded with a laugh. “I was starting to wonder, but I figure he knows how to defend himself,” she joked. “Believe me, it’s not for lack of offers - there are more than a few women who’ve tried to change his mind, crescent or no. Oh, speaking of that,” she said, raising her brush. “What do you want, and where?”

Kallista raised an eyebrow. Aleyn hadn’t mentioned anything about paint. “Ummm... is this a test?” she asked hesitantly, “Like am I supposed to answer back something about the cock crowing at midnight?”

"Oh, sorry! I usually explain it to newcomers, I just forgot," Mari said, embarrassed. "The moon symbols are just a quick way of showing at a glance what sort of partners you're interested in. Men, women, both, or neither if you prefer... It saves on a bit of awkwardness, at least, not having to ask people that once you’re in the middle of things. As for where you want it, anywhere visible is fine," she said with a sly smile that showed off her dimples. 

“Oh! Definitely both then.” Kallista said with a grin of her own, “I’ll let you decide where you want to put it.”

Mari giggled and dipped a thin brush into the jar of silver paint, leaning in close to Kallista as she touched the brush lightly to the skin of her upper right breast, opposite of the Jaguar-claw tattoo that lay over her heart. It took her only a few moments to paint a simple half circle, crisp and clear against the tiefling’s light red skin.

“Very nice,” Kallista said in admiration of her handiwork, “You’re good with your hands.”

“Lots of practice,” Mari said with a grin. “The paint is made not to run when you sweat, so it takes a bit of scrubbing to come off...”

“I actually have a soap that’s really good for that,” Aleyn said, rejoining the pair. He had removed his own cloak as well, revealing a dark blue robe shot through with silver threads and clasps down the front. He bent down to let Mari paint a silvery crescent on his cheek. “I can give you some afterwards, if you want.”

Kallista laughed. “Aleyn, you should know by now that you’re free to give me some any time you want.”

She winked at her friend and turned back to Mari, knowing that the blush would be quick to rise in his cheeks.

“Thanks for the symbol. Maybe I’ll see you inside?”

“I hope so,” the elf said brightly. “Enjoy the celebration!” 

Aleyn offered Kallista his arm to lead her into the temple's main chamber. It was a large, high-vaulted room with angled windows set far up in the ceiling that would eventually let in the moonlight. For now, however, the interior was lit with magical globes of light that cast a faint glow over the gathered crowd. People of many different races and degrees of undress milled about, evidently waiting for the ceremony to begin.

A number of the participants greeted Aleyn as he and Kallista passed through the crowd, and he stopped to say a few friendly words with each of them.

A few of the faces were unmasked, and Kallista recognized one or two of them vaguely from around town. A local butcher from Undertow here, a visiting priest of Avandra there, but most were covered with masks of all shapes, sizes and patterns, some plain, some wildly adorned. 

The room was filled with the sounds of a thriving party, music from the band that played near the front of the room, the steady roar of conversations, with occasional outbursts of laughter. 

As they passed one of several tables loaded with food and drinks of varying types, Kallista helped herself to a small canapé of some kind and found it to be delicious.

“Gods, it feels like all of Highmark is here...” she said, taking in the party.

Aleyn chuckled. "It's a busy night. A lot of people come to the full moon rites who don't otherwise attend the church, so this is about the most crowded the place ever is." 

“So what do we do now?” she asked, “Is there some kind of ceremony first, or do we just pick someone and go at it, or... how does this all work?”

"There are opening prayers and some singing to start with," Aleyn told her, smiling at her enthusiasm. "After that, it's less formal. There will be a good deal of drinking and dancing, and that's the usual time when those who are interested in more, uh, intimate celebrations will approach potential partners - although of course they may have taken note of them well before that point," he added with a subtle nod in the direction of a pair of gentlemen who were quite plainly ogling Kallista from a short distance away. "And there's a dawn ceremony at the end, for those who want to stay that long, and are still conscious at that point."

Kallista’s eyes scanned the pair of masked human men who were looking in her direction; one blond and grinning, the other black haired and mysterious looking. The black haired one made eye contact with her and smiled while his friend leaned over to whisper in his ear. They weren’t bad, but for now she was willing to keep her options open. She made a subtle wave in their direction and they nodded back at her appreciatively.

“I have a feeling I’m gonna be really tired tomorrow...” she said, half to herself.

A few moments later the band, led by a short, slender man with fair hair and a beard, finished the song they were playing. Little by little the noise in the room died out, being replaced by a sort of anxious quiet as all eyes turned to the front of the room, where a beautiful human woman in a shimmering pale blue robe had taken to a small raised platform and was looking out over the sea of faces.

“Blessings of Sehanine be upon all who are gathered here tonight,” she said, her voice carrying audibly throughout the hall. “Under the light of the full moon, we come together to celebrate her gifts to us with joy and reverence.”

She spoke for several minutes, about the phases of the moon and the beauty of the goddess, and Kallista felt her voice washing over the room as if it was a spell, and perhaps it was. Either way, there was barely a sound in the huge chamber as the priestess intoned her prayers to Sehanine. What she was saying seemed hardly to matter next to the beauty and passion in her voice.

Only at the very end of the invocation did the spell seem to lift. 

“May the shadows Guide and Protect us,” the priestess called, and as one the crowd answered back the same.

As if that was their cue, the musicians began to play a tune, spirited but with a somewhat haunting undertone. Some of the followers sang along, and even those who didn’t know the words had a feeling of being welcomed and surrounded by the music. The sound echoed off the stone walls, filling the chamber with warmth and vitality. The chorus was simple enough that by the second or third time through even most of those who had started out just listening were able to join in. 

When the song concluded, the musicians moved straight into another number, but the priestess had descended from the dais and it seemed clear that the evening was shifting into its next phase - people were milling about once more, the food and drink were again flowing freely, and some had cleared enough of a space to dance.

“I did promise I’d help out with the drinks,” Aleyn told Kallista, raising his voice somewhat to be heard over the music. “Do you want to come with me, or would you rather join in the fun for a while?”

Kallista looked around at the people milling and laughing and took a sip of her wine.

“I think I’m going to mingle a little bit... see what there is to see.” 

Aleyn laughed. “Oh, there will be quite a bit to see, I’m sure. I’ll just be over there, if you need anything. Well, I’ll be there for a while, at least...” he added, smiling. 

“Okay,” the tiefling said, giving him a quick hug, “I’ll try not to cause too much trouble.”

***

There was already a line forming for drinks as Aleyn slid behind the bar. The gnomish woman perched on the stepstool and the elomeni man who was assisting her both gave a visible sigh of relief. “Thank the Lady you’re here,” the gnome said. “It’s been so busy tonight I was beginning to think Niyel and I might be stuck here the entire time.”

Aleyn grinned even as he took some bottles from the shelf behind them. “Are you ready to leave already, Janora? Things are barely getting started.” He eyed the growing line of worshippers waiting for beverages. “Why don’t we save ourselves some headaches by filling the punchbowl now - people will drink what we put in front of them, after all, especially as the night goes on,” he added with a smirk. “I got this idea for a sparkling punch after a fancy party in Aethrennar...”

Once they had mixed up a large quantity of punch - even though it didn’t have the bright pink shade Aleyn remembered from the party, he thought it still tasted pretty similar, given what he had to work with - the line began to diminish, as people who were less choosy or in more of a hurry to get back to the festivities opted to serve themselves rather than waiting for a specially mixed drink or a glass of a particular vintage of wine. 

Janora hopped down from her perch and took a moment to stretch. “Thanks, that’s a big help. I don’t know why I never think to set up the punchbowl this early in the evening.”

“Because you’re a perfectionist,” Aleyn told her. “As much as you get stressed over it, you hate to give up hand-crafting every single drink. And people love it.”

“It’s true,” she said without false modesty. “The real connoisseurs will keep coming to the bar, at least.”

Niyel looked around hopefully. “So... since it’s less swamped now, and you’ve got Aleyn to help you, would it be okay if I left for a bit?”

“It’s fine,” Janora said briskly. “Go have some fun, just remember to come back and give us a break at some point too. And to help with clean-up at dawn, of course.”

Grinning, the young man nodded and made his hasty escape. Aleyn chuckled. “I remember being in that much of a hurry to get to the fun stuff.”

Janora smirked. “What, mixing drinks isn’t the ‘fun stuff’?”

“Oh, come on,” Aleyn teased her. “You were just saying you were afraid you’d be stuck here the whole night.”

“I just meant I’d need a break after being on my feet that long. I’m not as young as I used to be, after all.”

“Yeah, okay,” Aleyn said, laughing. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to rest your feet later, if you want - someone is bound to whisk you off them.”

“I don’t get whisked that easily anymore,” she replied, laughing with him. “It takes a much bigger broom.” 

Aleyn occupied himself tidying up behind the bar and fetching bottles down for Janora as she needed them, until he heard a familiar voice asking her for a glass of mead. Turning around with a grin and the bottle already in hand, he came up to the bar to greet the priest who had been leading the musicians. “Evon, aren’t you on duty still?” The music was certainly still just as lively as before, so it was a surprise to see him out and about this early in the evening. “Not that I’m not glad to see you,” he added cheerfully, sticking his free hand out.

Evon reached across the bar to take the hand Aleyn offered him, and pulled the taller man in for as much of a hug as they could manage. “We have a special guest performing with us tonight, from the Laurel Grove temple,” he explained. “She’s leading - or perhaps I should say stealing - the show at the moment, which gives me the chance to sneak away and get a drink.”

“Laurel Grove, ooh, fancy,” Aleyn said, pouring a generous serving of mead for his friend. “What brings her down the hill, then?”

“Other than the chance to perform with some of the finest musicians in Highmark?” Evon grinned, taking a swig of his drink. “I’m not quite sure, to tell you the truth. If I were a paranoid man, I’d think they were checking up on us, sending someone as high-ranking as her to observe one of our ceremonies. But I can’t figure out what they would be looking for among the band, when they could just ask me anything they needed to know. So maybe she just came of her own accord - slumming, so to speak,” he added with a chuckle. “She’s really talented, and certainly knows her stuff,” he continued more seriously. “Came to practice yesterday afternoon like a pro and everything. It’s been a pleasure working with her.” 

“Well, that’s good,” Aleyn said, leaning on the bar. “Not a diva, then?”

“Not at all,” Evon assured him. “I don’t think she’s even a noble, or not by birth, anyway. Something in her accent tells me she’s worked hard to polish it up. She might have come from down here originally, come to think of it, but if so it was before my time.”

Aleyn nodded, just as the band started a new number. A woman’s voice, high and clear, soared above the instruments, and almost involuntarily Aleyn’s gaze turned in the direction of the sound. The source of the beautiful song was a dark-haired human woman wearing a deep red gown and a lacy half-mask that only partially concealed her features. She wasn’t very young, maybe in her late forties, but still quite lovely - not that Aleyn was the best judge of feminine charms. As she turned, swaying slightly with the music, he realized with a start that he had met her before, in fact had tea at her house not too long ago. It was Vedran’s mother Vinalia. Seeing her this way, commanding the rapt attention of a crowd, it was certainly easy to understand how she would have drawn the eye of a nobleman - or more likely, many of them. 

Evon followed his gaze and chuckled. “She’s quite something, isn’t she? If I was even remotely interested in women... well, damn.”

“Huh?” Aleyn made an effort to stop staring at her, trying to avoid letting on that he knew her, and in fact was dating her son. “Oh, yes. Very... something.”

“You going to go change that crescent for a half?” Evon asked teasingly. “There’s still time.”

“No!” Aleyn blurted. “I just... really like the song,” he trailed off, embarrassed. 

“Are you going to be stuck here all night?” The warmth of Evon’s smile suggested he hoped the answer was ‘no’.

“Probably not,” Aleyn told him, smiling back. “But I brought a friend tonight, and I want to make sure she’s doing alright before I commit to anything. Don’t wait around for me if you have other prospects - which I’m sure you do,” he added, eyes twinkling.

“You brought a female friend, too? Sometimes I think you’re just having us on,” Evon said with a laugh. He swallowed the last of his drink and gave Aleyn another quick hug before heading off in search of those aforementioned other prospects.

Although he was occasionally distracted by pouring drinks, most of Aleyn’s attention was directed to Vinalia and the band. It seemed that most of the worshippers felt the same - it was unusually quiet while she was singing. When, after a few more songs, she finally took a bow and thanked the audience, there were calls for her to continue, but she smiled and stepped gracefully aside to allow another musician to take her place, descending from the stage. A cluster of eager fans surrounded her, and although Aleyn couldn’t hear what she was saying to them, it was clear that though she took the time to speak with them, most of them were being turned away disappointed - perhaps apart from those who just wanted to congratulate her on her performance and had no ulterior motives. She made her way gradually through the crowd, and Aleyn soon realized she was headed, slowly but surely, towards the bar - or towards him, he couldn’t be sure which. 

As she came closer, her gaze drifted over Aleyn and he was sure she smiled in his direction. He felt suddenly more nervous - had she come specifically to see him? Or was it just a coincidence that she’d decided to pay a visit to his home temple? He reached almost instinctively for a bottle of red wine and poured a glass to have it waiting for her when she got there.

Vinalia swept up to the bar and glanced over to see the glass in his hand. “Is that for me?” she asked, smiling beneath her half-mask.

“I thought after such lovely singing you might appreciate some refreshment,” he said, passing it to her.

“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you.” She accepted it gratefully and took a sip. Aleyn wondered momentarily if Vedran’s pickiness about wine came from his mother, and worried whether it would be good enough - they didn’t stock anything amazingly expensive, after all. But Vinalia seemed satisfied with the vintage, or at least she smiled pleasantly and finished off the glass quickly. “Are you very occupied here?” she asked with a casual tilt of her head.

“I... don’t have to be,” Aleyn said, swallowing hard. 

“Good,” she replied. “I was hoping for a more extensive tour of the temple. Perhaps you could be my guide?” 

“I’d be happy to.” Aleyn turned to Janora, who just shrugged and waved her hand impatiently before he could even open his mouth to try and explain. Circling around the end of the bar, he offered Vinalia his arm. “If you’ll come with me, my lady?”

She took it, smiling up at him. “Lead the way.”

***

In the beginning, Kallista had felt somewhat overwhelmed. Certainly she had been to parties before, even some bigger and more lavish than this, but she’d always been there with someone. If it wasn’t Brenn, then it was the Thunderbolts, but after Aleyn had left to take care of his bartending duties, Kallista had realized that she was alone here, and for the first time in a long time she felt it. Even if she did know anyone here, they were more than likely masked.

For a little while she simply wandered, listening to the conversations of others around her. The topics were many and varied. There were the expected devout discussing religion and matters of church, but far more common were discussions of sports, politics, local news and local rumors. In addition, there was a significant amount of discussion centered around other guests, their relationship statuses, and their availability and willingness to participate in the more lurid aspects of the night’s festivities.

“Do you think those two come as a set?” one masked woman was asking another near enough for Kallista to overhear. The two of them were very obviously ogling a young half-elven couple near the entrance.

“I don’t know, but I’d like to try to make them,” her friend replied smugly.

Kallista walked somewhat aimlessly through the party, watching the band play their instruments for a while before heading further towards the back, deeper into the mountainside, where the lights seemed somewhat dimmer and the crowds less noisy.

She leaned against a carved stone wall and sipped her wine as she watched people milling about. It was uncharacteristic of her to be hesitant in social settings, but she found that without her friends some of her normal confidence had evaporated.

From a nearby alcove in the wall she heard a soft noise over the distant music and murmur of conversations. She pricked up her ear and heard the sound again; a low moaning, barely audible.

She peaked around the corner and peered into the dim recess. A about ten feet away was a large silk-lined couch on which a female elf and a human male were reclining. The man was nude except for a plain green mask and the elf was clad only in sheer silks which left nothing to the imagination and had been pushed up around her waist where the two had come together. They were moving together slowly, almost imperceptibly, but it was obvious that both were deep in the thralls of pleasure, lost in each other’s bodies.

Kallista tried not to stare, but she couldn’t pull herself away from peering around the corner at the couple. Distantly she was aware of the band finishing their song and a new singer beginning; a clear, high, female voice that seemed to spin and dance above the room. The song added to the hypnotic effect of the couple in front of her, and soon the two had matched the rhythm of their lovemaking to the tempo of the song. For several minutes she stood watching their slow movements, listening to the little gasps and groans their coupling produced in counterpoint to the music. She was so engrossed in her voyeurism that she never noticed the figure standing beside her until she felt a hand fall lightly on her shoulder.

Kallista spun around defensively, caught completely off guard. She found herself staring into deep black eyes set in a brown face. Her first thought was that the man was handsome. He had chiseled features, with high cheekbones and a thin, black goatee gracing his elegant chin. He wore an obviously expensive suit that hugged his body in all the right places. It was his curved, ram-like horns and long, thick tail, however, that made her eyes widen and the bottom drop out of her stomach.

“Well, hello there,” the tiefling said to her as she stared at him, “Enjoying the show?”

For a moment Kallista could not force the air out of her lungs, but finally she managed to croak out a response.

“No... I... I mean... I was just...”

The tiefling chuckled and removed his hand from her shoulder.

“Sorry,” he said with a grin that would melt an iceberg yet somehow seemed only to unsettle Kallista more, “I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s perfectly okay to watch. Lots of us like to. I’m something of a voyeur myself. Our lady does love secrets, after all.”

He raised an eyebrow at her continued nervousness.

“I’m Tower, by the way,” he continued, “You don’t have to tell me your name if you don’t want to. Is this your first time here?”

Kallista nodded, trying hard to get a grip on herself. In her mind she knew that he meant no harm, that this was a safe place, but her heart raced regardless.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “You just caught me off guard. It’s my first time. I’m here with a friend.”

She glanced around, trying to find Aleyn among the teeming masses, but it was no use. There was no way she could pick him out of the crowd.

Tower smiled.

“You mean a friend or a ‘Friend’?” he asked.

“Oh, no, nothing like that...” she said, “I’m not his type.”

Tower laughed. He had an easygoing manner that seemed to draw you into him.

“Good, good. I thought maybe you were an exclusive, despite your mark.” He gestured to the silver paint on her breast. “Does that mean that I maybe have a chance of sweeping you off your lovely feet?”

Kallista stared for a moment uncomprehendingly before understanding crept into her eyes.

“Oh...” she said, somewhat shakily, “No... I’m sorry. I don’t think... I can’t.”

She took several steps back from the tiefling before turning and hurrying away, leaving Tower to stare awkwardly after her, his eyebrows arched in confusion.

***

It was somewhat difficult for Aleyn to give a full guided tour when just around any corner they might stumble over (literally, in some cases) people having sex. Fortunately, Vinalia was quite relaxed about such occurrences, and they sidestepped or backtracked around most of the obstacles. “There is one other place I’d like to show you,” Aleyn said after a while, mostly because he was confident it would be deserted. “The reflecting pool is quite lovely on full moon nights like this.”

It was near the back of the sanctuary, half-buried inside the mountain - a still pool of water ringed with moonstones that glistened in the light shining in from the skylight above. Normally only the priests had access to this part of the temple. “It’s beautiful,” Vinalia said as she admired the sight. “I’d like to sit for a little while, if that’s all right.”

“Of course,” Aleyn replied, gesturing to the carved bench that followed the curve of the wall. “Would you like some time alone for, uh, contemplation?”

Vinalia smiled as she removed her mask, shaking her head. “No, that’s fine. I was actually hoping to have a few moments to speak with you in private.” She sat down on the bench and patted the seat beside her. 

Nervously, Aleyn came to join her. “I wasn’t sure if that was why you came or not.”

“Not the only reason,” she assured him. “But one of several incentives to visit. A chance to see you in your own surroundings.”

“I don’t know if this is exactly typical of my usual ‘surroundings,’” Aleyn said with a slight smile. “But my apartment would have been much less enjoyable, I expect.”

“And I wouldn’t want to impose on you,” Vinalia replied. “I hope I haven’t forced you to alter your plans for the evening by my presence.”

“No,” said Aleyn. “I didn’t really have specific plans... uh, not with someone...” He knew he was blushing, but hoped maybe she wouldn’t notice in the faint light. “I don’t always... I mean, sometimes I just come for the party and the music. Well, I did mention I might get together with a friend later, but he’ll probably find someone else to have fun with, and that’s fine.”

“Not too closely attached, then?” she inquired carefully. 

“Not with him,” Aleyn replied. “Getting attached isn’t something he does, and I’ve known that for a long time. No, um, right now there’s just one person I’m... closely attached to.” He was blushing even more now, she would be sure to see. Neither of them used Vedran’s name, but they both knew who he was talking about.

She smiled gently. “I’m very glad that he found you. It’s been... well, difficult for him, as of course you know, perhaps better than I do. Knowing that he’s been able to begin to open up again enough to trust you, trust himself, makes me hopeful for the first time in quite a while.”

“I hope I’m doing the right thing,” Aleyn said, looking at the still waters of the pool. “For myself as well as him. I don’t know what the future holds for us - whether it’s anything apart from heartbreak and disappointment. I’m not planning to give up without a fight, though.”

Vinalia nodded. “Hopefully Avandra will smile on you as much as Sehanine obviously has, and you’ll receive some good luck, both of you, whatever the future may bring. But if that heartbreak does come eventually, it won’t be alone - it has to follow love, after all, and even if love proves finite or fallible, that doesn’t mean it was worthless.”

“I know that... it’s been a hard lesson to learn, but I do understand it now, I think. Even when things have been difficult, it’s been worthwhile. I... maybe it’s foolish of me, but I feel like V- like he’s been a blessing to me. Maybe also a challenge sometimes, but definitely a blessing,” he added with a slight smile. 

“He has always been a little bit challenging,” Vinalia said, smiling back.

“Not him personally,” Aleyn hastened to add. “But learning to accept him as he is, while at the same time trying to help him... it isn’t always easy, balancing those issues with my own needs, staying patient, drawing him out... If that’s the lesson I’m supposed to be learning here... well, the Lady chose well, because the rewards are incredible.” 

He glanced over at Vinalia, then looked away in embarrassment, wondering if he had gone into too much detail in talking about her son’s love life, but she just smiled and patted his knee with one dimpled hand. “I’m glad you can look at things from such an enlightened perspective, and I do hope that this is rewarding for both of you, in every possible way. Thank you for taking the time to reassure a worried mother.”

“Uh, you’re welcome?” Aleyn said, taking her hand for a moment and giving it a quick squeeze. He wasn’t sure how reassuring he had really been, but Vinalia seemed pleased, at least.

“I shouldn’t keep you from the party and your friends, though,” she continued, standing and giving a little stretch. As she replaced her mask she looked up at Aleyn through its narrow eyeholes. “May you find your path as well in the dark of the moon as her fullness.”

Aleyn guessed it must be a ritual saying, perhaps something from the new moon rites that he attended only rarely. If there was a formal response, he didn’t know it yet. “Thank you,” he settled for saying, which seemed to be good enough. Together they made their way back through the temple’s winding maze of corridors, out into the main chamber, drawn by its music and the raucous sounds of celebration. 

 

***

The experience with Tower had shaken Kallista. She knew it was silly. There were probably thousands of tieflings in Highmark. It was ridiculous to think that all of them were spies of her father--especially handsome, well dressed ones. But still, the fear had bubbled up into her throat and screamed at her from the dark parts of her mind to run. For just a moment she had been eighteen again, staring into her fathers eyes as he berated her for the thousandth time about her worthlessness and idiocy. Just looking into Tower’s deep black eyes had made her feel weak and helpless, a child in a woman’s skin. 

Her nerves had been frayed by the the encounter and she found that even a few minutes later she was still shaking.

“Ok...” she said to herself firmly, “This is stupid. This isn’t me. I just need to calm down. I need to relax. I need...”

Her eyes swept across the room and happened to alight on a vaguely familiar masked face. One of the two men who’d been eyeing her earlier stood near one of the punch bowls observing the room. His eyes turned towards her and a sly grin worked its way onto his face when he saw her looking his way. His short black hair was slightly tousled and he had since lost his shirt, revealing a well built chest with a silver half moon tattooed on his upper arm.

“...that. I need one of those.”

She took a quick moment to run her fingers through her hair before heading towards the man, forcing herself to adopt her most seductive smile.

“I was wondering when you’d be coming over,” the man said, by way of a greeting.

Kallista laughed.

“When? Not if? You must be quite sure of yourself. Where’s your friend? The blond one?”

The man reached around to take a glass of the sweet, red punch from the table nearby.

“He’s around. He’ll be back eventually.”

He offered the glass to Kallista and she took it, her fingers brushing lightly against his as it changed hands.

“Until then we can have some fun without him.”

“Oh?” Kallista purred, sipping her punch. It was sweet and cold and heavily spiked. “And just what kind of fun did you have in mind?”

He took a step towards her and slowly but deliberately raised his hand up to her breast, cupping it gently over the soft material of her bodice. His thumb stroked once, firmly rolling over the hard nub of her nipple. He leaned down to her ear, his voice just above a whisper.

“I think you know.”

Kallista moaned.

“You move fast. I like that.”

He pulled away from her with a smile and gestured with one finger for her to follow. She quickly swallowed the rest of her punch before setting the cup down and heading off after him. Along the perimeter of the room the church had set up various couches, raised beds, and other soft surfaces. Several of them were already in use by couples and groups in various positions. Her mystery man led her quietly to a large divan before pulling her to him and pressing his lips against hers. As they kissed Kallista could feel the delicate feathers of his mask tickling her face, and his hands roamed freely over her back, moving slowly down to rest on her ass.

Kallista reached down and began deftly untying the black ribbon that held her bodice in place. Her partner wasted little time in loosening it and pulling it off of her, exposing her warm flesh to the cool air.

“Mmmm... that feels good...” she said as he placed one hand over her bare breast and lightly stroked it, his palm brushing over the sensitive flesh of her nipple. Her own hand strayed down the front of his chest to his pants, where it soon brushed against his hardening bulge. Her thumb lingered, rubbing the tip of it through the fabric of his pants and causing him to inhale sharply.

“You know what you’re doing...” he said, leaning down to suck gently on the side of her neck.

“I get a lot of practice.”

Her hand made short work of the fastenings on his pants, letting them fall to the ground where he deftly stepped out of them. His hands, meanwhile, had tugged her tiny skirt down her hips, and were sliding over the smooth skin of her hips, moving around to caress her back. He sat down on the divan and pulled her into him, her legs straddling his. His mouth went straight to her breast, sucking firmly on first one nipple and then the other. One hand took hold of the base of her tail and slowly slid along the length of it. Kallista shuddered at the sensation and moaned into his shoulder.

She opened her eyes and looked around, hardly believing that for once she was able to express herself fully in front of everyone and no one was stopping her or telling her that it was wrong. She could feel the eyes of curious onlookers tracing over her body and she reveled in the sense of freedom it gave her. Her eyes fell on the couch next to theirs where two halfling women were lying together in an erotic embrace. One had her face buried eagerly between the other’s legs, lapping and probing with her tongue as the other moaned and squirmed beneath her. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at Kallista with a smile of utter bliss.The connection lasted only a moment, however, as her lover found a sensitive spot and she threw her head back in ecstasy.

The man pulled his mouth away from Kallista’s nipple and moved up to her ear, gently biting it to bring her attention back to their own amusement.

“I want to watch you suck me,” he whispered. The words, so direct and powerful, sent a shiver from the base of her tail up her spine and she could only nod her assent.

His hands gently but firmly guided her to her knees in front of him. She wasted no time in taking his cock in her hand and stroking it several times before leaning forward and engulfing him in her mouth.

The man moaned and ran his hands roughly through her red hair, fingernails scratching lightly against her scalp. He took hold of one horn and pulled her towards him gently, pushing more and more of his shaft into her mouth. He wasn’t particularly large, and she found that she could eventually work all of him into her mouth, gagging only slightly as her lips finally touched the base of his cock.

“Oh gods...” the man moaned, “That’s good...”

If her mouth hadn’t been otherwise occupied, Kallista would have smiled, but instead she continued sliding up and down on him, occasionally pulling her mouth off to tongue the tip. At the same time her hands were busy further down her own body, stoking the fires of her own passion. Finally, after several minutes of sucking and stroking, she couldn’t stand much more of it.

She pulled herself off of his cock and climbed up his body.

“Fuck me...” she moaned at him, straddling his lap, “Dear gods, fuck me now.”

“Oh...” he said, seeming suddenly flustered, “I... uh...” He scooted backwards slightly on the couch, keeping her from fulfilling her goal.

“Come on, stop playing around...” she said with a grin.

“I can’t,” he said, a sheepish look on his face.

“...what do you mean you can’t?”

“I’m not allowed to... you know.”

Kallista stared at him, nonplussed.

“Allowed by who?”

“By me,” a voice from behind her shoulder chimed in. She turned to see his blond companion standing nearby, stark naked, with a look of half-amusement, half-exasperation on his masked face. A silver crescent tattoo stood out on his arm in the same place as the other man’s half-moon.

“You didn’t tell her, did you?”

The black haired man blushed crimson.

“Well... I... kinda got carried away. I was gonna...”

The blond man took a step closer and sighed.

“Damnit, Jekkob, we’ve been over this. It’s not fair to her.” He turned to Kallista, “I’m so sorry, honey, my husband’s an ass sometimes. I don’t mind him fooling around with other people at these ceremonies, but I do draw a line at actual sex. Usually he has a woman warm him up and then pass him off to me for the main event.”

Kallista’s mouth opened and shut again as she looked back and forth between the man whose cock she was nearly straddling and his husband.

“I...oh...” she managed to blurt out as she clumsily pushed away from him and stood up, grabbing her clothes from the floor. “I’m so sorry... I didn’t...”

“Don’t be,” the blond man said with a smile. He nodded toward Jekkob, “He’s the one that should be sorry. You ok?”

Kallista nodded and backed up.

“Yeah, I just... I’m just gonna go.”

She turned and headed back towards the main area of the room feeling annoyed and sad and frustrated and horny as all hell.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me...” she sighed, “...I need a drink.”

A moment later she slid heavily onto a tall bar stool and rested her chin on one hand. She had managed to tug her skirt back on, but her bodice was far too much work for her to deal with in her current state and she had given it a miss, choosing instead to simply carry it. She tossed the rolled up fabric down on the bar with a sigh.

“Rough night?” Janora asked, looking up at the nearly naked tiefling from behind the counter.

“You have no idea,” Kallista said tiredly, “Give me something strong.”

“You got it.” The gnome woman scurried off to her bottles and returned a moment later with a shot glass full of dark greenish liquid. “Cheers.”

Kallista tossed the shot back with practiced ease, but within a moment her face contorted and her eyes began to water.

“Oh gods... what was that?” she croaked out a moment later.

“House special. One of the priestesses distills it in her quarters. She calls it ‘Divine Inspiration’. Personally, I use it to take old paint off of walls.”

Kallista smiled at the bartender. It was a far cry from Brenn’s exotic liquors, but it did the trick. She could already feel a pleasant tingle and a slight fuzziness around the edges of her vision. 

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a familiar face and turned to see Aleyn approaching the bar with an older woman dressed in red. She had an aura of confidence and magnetism about her and Kallista found it hard to take her eyes off of her as the pair approached the bar.

***

As Aleyn approached the bar once again with Vinalia in tow he saw a familiar pink skinned tiefling sitting in front of it.

“Aleyn!” Kallista said, standing up to give him an awkwardly affectionate hug, “Who’s your friend? I thought I was the only woman in your life.”

Returning her embrace, Aleyn considered how best to answer the question without giving away Vinalia’s identity. “Our guest of honor tonight,” he replied. “You might have heard her singing earlier, if you were lucky - it was amazing.” He turned to glance at Vinalia. She would certainly know who Kallista was, so there was no need for introductions on her part, he decided. “Have you been enjoying yourself?” he asked the tiefling. To be honest, he was surprised to find her still semi-clothed, and at the bar.

Kallistsa sighed.

“Don’t ask,” she said, “It’s been a very... complicated night.”

Vinalia raised an eyebrow. “Is everything alright? If it’s something serious...”

Kallista shook her head. “Oh, nothing like that. It’s just... issues. My issues, other people’s issues... just a big issue whirlwind, really. Nothing terrible.”

She shrugged and turned to Aleyn.

“How’s your night been? Meet any cute guys?”

“Not yet,” he said with a smile. “But everyone comes by the bar sooner or later, so if I stay here, there’s sure to be someone interesting before morning.” Although after his conversation with Vedran’s mother, he was feeling somewhat more inclined to just stick to serving drinks and wait until he got home.

“Well, at least you managed to find a gorgeous woman, although I guess that’s not really what you were looking for.” Kallista turned her smile to Vinalia. “I heard you singing earlier. It was... incredible.”

“Thank you.” Vinalia said with a slight bow of her head, “I’m glad that at least some part of your evening was enjoyable.”

“Oh, it’s not... it wasn’t that bad. I just...” She sighed and trailed off.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Kallista looked up at the woman, somewhat caught off guard. “What, you mean... like now?”

Vinalia shrugged. “If you’d like. I’ve seen a few quieter spots around the temple. Aleyn was good enough to give me the tour. I know I’m a stranger, but sometimes talking about things can put them in the right perspective.”

Kallista looked at her and then at Aleyn.

“Would... would that be okay?” she asked him.

“Of course,” he said. “That’s part of the reason for being here.” He hoped desperately that they weren’t going to explore the other reasons for attending this ceremony, but there was really no good way to say that to either of them. Besides, he told himself, Vinalia knew the situation, and he didn’t think she was likely to take advantage of one of her son’s teammates. Unless they both wanted it, and... he forced himself to stop that train of thought before it went too far. “I won’t go too far from here, in case you need to find me,” he told Kallista, with a somewhat awkward smile. “Enjoy. I mean, have a good time... I mean, uh, I’ll see you later.”

Kallista laughed and hugged him again. “Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She turned to Vinalia. “Lead the way.”

The human woman smiled and put a hand lightly on Kallista’s arm, leading her away from the bar and into the crowd.

 

***

After parting ways with Vinalia and Kallista, Aleyn slipped back behind the bar, where Janora greeted him with a curt nod, her hands full with mixing a complicated series of drinks for a group of three dragonborn. “Anything I can do to help?” he asked, looking around to see if there were any other folks waiting. The only other person at the bar was a young man sitting at the far end, nursing an ale and looking distinctly unhappy amid all the festivities. Janora nodded in his direction without further explanation. “He’s already got a drink,” Aleyn pointed out, taking a cloth to mop up a few spills on the counter.

“Yes, but I think he also needs an ear, and he’s not interested in mine,” she said with a shrug. “Maybe he’ll have something to say to you.”

“Okay,” Aleyn agreed, heading in that direction. It wasn’t unusual for the priests and laypeople who worked at the bar to wind up dealing with the more distraught guests, the ones who needed someone to listen to their problems or a shoulder to cry on instead of someone to celebrate with. Aleyn wondered which of the typical set of problems that brought people to the temple of Sehanine this young man had. Heartbreak, jealousy, unrequited love…

“Can I get you another one of those?” he asked, trying to gently start the conversation. The young man looked up at him in surprise. He was human, maybe eighteen or a young-looking twenty, stocky and round-faced with sandy brown hair and a faint scattering of freckles. On his cheek, the empty circle denoting ‘neither’ was painted. Aleyn mentally filed that information away - it wasn’t completely unusual for a guest to visit the temple at the full moon with no interest in sex, say if they were already exclusively partnered with someone not in attendance, or had come only to enjoy the music, or were just the sort of person whose drives in that direction were few, or highly selective - but it was at least worth noting, especially in someone his age, and might help to explain his apparent melancholy.

“Uh…sure, I guess,” the young man said, although his current drink was still half-full. As Aleyn poured him another, he hastily swallowed down the rest of his mug’s contents and pushed it aside to receive the new one. 

Aleyn took the empty and set it aside to be cleaned, but didn’t go too far, waiting to see if the boy would start to talk to him. Sometimes all it took was being nearby and available for them to spill their secrets, but since Janora had indicated he wasn’t inclined to talk to her, it might take a little more encouragement in this case. “How are things going for you tonight?” he asked. 

The young man shot him a dour look that told him the answer. Aleyn gave him a sympathetic smile as he came over to lean against the bar across from him. “That good, huh?”

“Yeah,” he replied glumly.

Aleyn decided he was going to have to take a more direct route with this one, since he seemed like the taciturn type. “Do you want to talk about it?” He made sure to use his most easy-going and non-judgmental tone, the one that you kind of had to perfect if you wanted to get anywhere in the church of Sehanine, the one that said ‘it’s safe to talk to me, I’m not going to think you’re a disgusting pervert.’

After a moment of hesitation, the young man gave a nervous little nod. “You’re a priest of Sehanine, you have to keep things secret, right?”

This was one of the tenets of the faith that Aleyn struggled with the most, but it was more or less true in cases like this. He couldn’t imagine there would be any benefit to the upper echelons of the church in this young man’s private personal problems, and he would certainly keep quiet if that was the case. “It’s between you, me, and the Lady,” he settled for saying. “Would you rather go somewhere a little quieter?”

He looked even more nervous at that prospect, searching Aleyn’s face as if for some clue to his intentions - Aleyn thought his gaze lingered a little longer over his crescent moon, with some sort of complicated, hard to interpret expression. “Just talking?”

“If that’s all you want, yes,” Aleyn assured him. “Nothing else. I mean - you have the blank circle on tonight, everyone’s obliged to respect that.”

The young man screwed up his face slightly, but nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Somewhere quieter would be good, I guess.” He picked up his drink to take it with him, which Aleyn hoped was a good sign - if he drank it, on top of however many he’d already had, he might loosen up a little more and be able to talk more freely. 

As they made their way to one of the alcoves near the back of the temple, the ones that didn’t have a view of the band or really much of the rest of the main room at all, and so tended to go unused unless it was an especially busy night, Aleyn noticed that his companion kept looking around furtively. His gaze wasn’t lingering on the bare skin or the contorted bodies that were easily visible to the attentive onlooker; it was more as if he was looking for someone or something in particular. Or maybe, Aleyn thought, as if he was worried about being seen by someone in particular. He moved them swiftly through the crowd, trying to minimize the young man’s evident anxiety, whatever its source.

The carved-out hollow he chose for them was small and dimly-lit, with a low couch and some cushions nestled into the curve of the stone. Aleyn sat down, motioning for his companion to do the same. The young man perched primly at one end, clutching his mug in both hands. Aleyn waited patiently, giving him the chance to compose his thoughts. Finally, after a lengthy pause, he began to speak. “I came here with a friend. Um, it wasn’t my idea, but I thought maybe it… it meant something. And I didn’t want to seem like a, a prude or whatever.”

Aleyn nodded, listening. It made sense that he wasn’t comfortable here if he’d only come at a friend’s urging. “What did you think it meant?” he asked gently.

“That, uh, this friend… that maybe something would happen between us,” he muttered, staring down into his mug of ale. Aleyn noticed his careful avoidance of any mention of the mysterious friend’s gender, and drew the most likely conclusion from that, though he didn’t mention it yet.

“Your friend’s interests are directed elsewhere, though?” he said instead.

“Yeah… everywhere elsewhere,” the young man said sourly, and took a sip of his drink. “As soon as we got inside he… uh… I mean, this friend…”

“It’s all right,” Aleyn told him quietly. “It’ll be a whole lot easier to hold this conversation if we acknowledge your friend is a guy, and go from there.” He tapped his crescent with one finger, giving a slight smile that he hoped was reassuring, not alarming. “Obviously I’m not going to think anything’s wrong with that.”

The young man’s hands around his mug were clenched so tightly Aleyn was a bit worried he might break it. He gave a heavy sigh and nodded slowly. “I never told anyone that before. I didn’t… didn’t really admit it to myself until a few months ago.”

Aleyn knew that feeling, even though it was years in the past for him. “Is it guys in general, or just one in particular?”

“I don’t know,” he said miserably. “I’ve tried going out with girls but it never gets anywhere, and the only person I feel… that way… about is him, but I can’t tell him that!”

This was all sounding awfully familiar to Aleyn, and he nodded sympathetically. “Let me guess - he’s the popular one with girls.”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” he asked, eyes widening.

“I know the type,” Aleyn said. The type who would drag his shy friend to an orgy, hoping to get him laid, even when it was blatantly obvious he wouldn’t enjoy it. Aleyn wondered if he’d even thought about what his friend might want - then again, maybe he knew already and was trying to deflect that unwanted attention. Assuming it actually was unwanted… but he was getting ahead of himself. “So you asked for the empty circle because you couldn’t admit in front of him what you actually wanted, but you also couldn’t ask for anything that might mean women would make advances towards you?”

The young man stared at him as though he was a mind-reader. “I… yeah. It was all I could think of, when they put me on the spot there. I think he was kind of pissed about it. He said that wasn’t why we came here, and then he went off on his own, without me, and the last time I saw him he had two girls crawling all over him, and I just… I just wanted to hide.” By now, he was squinting into his drink with an intensity that suggested he was trying very hard not to cry.

Aleyn wanted to put his arm around him, comfort him, but he sensed that right at the moment any wrong move could send the boy running. “I’m sorry,” he said instead. “That wasn’t fair of him, to treat a friend like that. Have you been friends for a long time?”

“Since we were ten,” he sighed. “I’m afraid of telling him how I feel in case it drives him away. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“I know what you mean,” Aleyn told him. He didn’t want to turn this into a conversation about himself, but he thought maybe a little background might help. “I had a friend like that too, when I was around your age, and I felt pretty much the same about him as you do about your friend.”

“What happened?” the boy asked nervously, as if dreading what the answer might be.

“I never said anything,” Aleyn replied. “We got older, our lives and jobs took us in different directions, we drifted apart. No big drama. He’s married now, a few years ago. We run into each other now and then and say hello, and promise to get together and catch up, but somehow we never do.” It made him a little melancholy to think about Caulin like that, but the pain had long since evaporated. “I met other people, friends and lovers both, and I’ve been happy with them. I don’t know if things would have been different if I’d told him how I felt - maybe they would have been better, but maybe worse. No way to know now, and I’m okay with that.”

The young man listened intently. “So… you’re saying I shouldn’t tell him?”

“I can’t answer that for you,” Aleyn said firmly. “You know your friend, I don’t. You know better than I do how he might take it. But I can tell you that if the main reason you’re holding back is because you’re afraid of losing your friendship with him… well, that’s probably going to change anyway. Maybe just because you get older, maybe because something else will come between you… maybe because no matter how much you try to hide it, there’s a tension between you two now that he’s picking up on, I don’t know.”

“He likes girls,” he said sullenly. “So there’s no point in saying anything.”

“Well… I don’t know if you should assume that,” Aleyn told him carefully. “You could be right, but just because he likes girls doesn’t mean he might not also like you.”

The young man gave him a skeptical look. “He didn’t ask for a half moon.”

“Maybe, same as you, he was embarrassed to say what he actually wanted in front of a friend. Maybe he’s not interested in most guys, just a few - or just one. Maybe he’s never even thought about it before, but if the idea was presented to him it might suddenly sound pretty good. I don’t know his particular case, but I do know that sometimes people, even ones you think you know well, can surprise you. Sometimes feelings don’t pay much attention to bodies or propriety or what you’ve always thought you wanted before. Or common sense, unfortunately,” he added with a wry smile. 

Nodding glumly, the young man finished his drink and set the mug down on the floor. “I don’t know if I could be happy with anyone but him.”

Aleyn resisted the urge to tell him that of course he could, there were thousands of people in the world, he would be bound to find someone else if he was willing to look around. Instead, he said, “I know it feels that way now. But pinning all your hopes to one person… that’s a big responsibility for them to bear, even if they do reciprocate your feelings. A major commitment that might take time to develop. Maybe try to experience the world a bit more before you decide if he’s the only one for you.” He gestured to the room around them. “Tonight’s a perfect opportunity, if you decide you want to broaden your horizons a little.”

He scanned the crowd, looking wary but, Aleyn thought, at least a little intrigued. “How would I even, though… I mean, the circle and everything…”

Aleyn couldn’t hold back a little chuckle. “The circles and crescents and so forth are more of a helpful guideline for everyone else, so we know better how to act with you. You didn’t sign a contract when you came through the door saying you wouldn’t do anything tonight, you’re allowed to change your mind. It’s your choice.”

“But I mean, how would I find someone, even if I was interested?” he asked, looking anxious.

“The customary way is to look around for someone you think is attractive, make sure they’re wearing a compatible sign, and then go talk to them,” Aleyn explained, hoping he wasn’t being patronizing. “There are, uh, more advanced methods, but that’s probably best for a start.”

“What if they say no, though?”

“Well, at the full moon, people saying ‘no’ isn’t usually as much of a problem as it might be if you went to a regular bar or something,” Aleyn said with a slight smile. “But of course they can, for any number of reasons that might not have anything to do with you or whether they think you’re attractive. If they do, it stings a bit, but you say ‘okay’ and move on. It’s not the end of the world.” It might even be healthy, he thought, for this kid to experience a mild taste of rejection and find out that actually, it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to him, but he didn’t say that. Instead he added, “But if you’re worried about that, maybe try to track down one of the priests - they’re even less likely than the average celebrant to turn you down, since, you know… it’s their sacred duty.” 

“You’re a priest, aren’t you?”

“Oh,” Aleyn said, blinking in surprise. “Yes, I suppose I am. Sorry, I’m still fairly new to this.” He gave an awkward shrug and a smile. “But I’d like to help you however I can.”

The young man nodded, but still sat stiffly, clearly nervous. Aleyn figured that whatever was going to happen would probably be a slow process, and require a good deal of reassurance along the way. “It’s your choice,” he repeated, putting one hand lightly on his companion’s shoulder. “If you want to go have another drink, or stay here to talk some more, that’s fine. And if you’d like to do more than talk, we can do that too. If there’s something you’ve always been curious about trying… just let me know.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Could we… um… try touching more?”

“Definitely,” Aleyn agreed, putting his arm around his shoulder to draw him a little closer. He could feel the tension in his body, but also feel it diminishing slightly as he stayed there, just holding him. “Is this all right?” 

The young man nodded, turning to look up at Aleyn. His eyes were brown with flecks of amber, and very wide. “Can I kiss you?” he asked uncertainly.

“I’d like that,” Aleyn said, smiling. He let the nervous young man make the initial move - he had the feeling that it would be good for him to attempt a little boldness. The kiss was closed-mouthed, dry-lipped, tentative at first. Soon, though, it turned into an open-mouthed embrace. Aleyn had to lean back against the wall, being almost pushed there by his companion’s enthusiastic kisses. Beneath that anxious exterior, it seemed there was a great deal of pent-up energy. Aleyn encouraged him, while simultaneously trying to guide him into a position that would be more comfortable for both of them.

He could feel the young man’s erection pressing hard against the coarse fabric of his trousers as his hips twitched to draw them closer together, but didn’t move to touch it quite yet. Instead, Aleyn continued kissing him, working to help him relax, slowing his frantic pace just a little. He could remember that nervous energy from when he was young, the feeling of urgent need that could barely be contained, but he also remembered his more experienced partners encouraging him to take a bit more time over it, enjoy himself, not simply rush through to the finish. Now (though he still found it hard to believe) he was in the ‘more experienced’ role, and he understood that it wasn’t only about wanting your overexcited partner to savour the sensations, but also about being able to keep up with them. 

“Please,” the young man was begging between kisses, begging for something he probably didn’t even know the right words for, just needing more than what he was getting. He was lost in Aleyn’s arms, lost within himself maybe. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he whispered “Esras” under his breath. Aleyn hesitated at the name, wanting to be sure that he was doing the right thing - not just what the boy desired in this instant, but what was right for him in the long run. Lady, he prayed, help me give him what he truly needs.

There was no sudden shaft of moonlight, no brilliant words of wisdom echoing in his mind. Instead, he felt calm and clear-headed, despite the eager, squirming young man trying to all but climb into his lap and rut against him. “Is this what you truly want for your first time?” he asked gently. “If it is, then we’ll go ahead - I’m not saying we have to stop. But if there’s any part of you that’s not sure…”

Opening his eyes, the young man seemed taken aback for a moment, and Aleyn worried whether he had offended him, but then a more pensive look fell over his face. “I… I want to have it over with,” he mumbled. 

Aleyn nodded sympathetically. There were worse reasons to come to the temple at the full moon, but he still wasn’t quite convinced. “I can do that for you, if that’s your choice. But I can’t be him for you, and no amount of pretending will make it so. It wouldn’t be sincere - more importantly, it wouldn’t be what you really want.”

“I know,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I know it’s not.”

Carefully extricating himself from the embrace, Aleyn took a few deep breaths to steady himself. “You need to talk to him,” he said, still holding the young man’s hand. “Before you can feel free to make a decision like this for yourself, you have to be honest with him about your feelings.”

He nodded, looking frightened and miserable and very young again. “I… I’ll tell him. But if it goes horribly…”

“If it goes horribly, at least you’ll know where things stand,” Aleyn told him, knowing it wasn’t much comfort. “The truth will be out in the open and you won’t have to be worried about keeping that secret anymore. And please - if anything goes wrong, come back and find me at the bar. I’ll be there for you if you need me,” he added, squeezing his hand tightly. “Actually, come back and see me regardless of what happens, just so I’ll know how you’re doing.”

“Okay,” the young man said nervously, clambering off him and standing up. “I… I’m sorry we couldn’t…”

“There’s nothing you need to apologize for,” Aleyn reassured him with a gentle smile. 

 

***

“That must have been… frustrating,” Vinalia said, frowning slightly at the tiefling.

“Yeah, in more ways than one,” Kallista responded, leaning back on her hands. They were in the grotto, beneath the silver light of the full moon. The women had decided to forgo the carved stone benches for the soft grass that ringed the pool of dark water.

Vinalia had been easier to talk to than Kallista would have guessed, managing to effortlessly draw the story out of her. The human woman seemed to know exactly what questions to ask, when to ask them and, more importantly, which ones not to ask; when to shut up and listen.

“I mean, he could have just told me. It’s not like I wouldn’t have gone down on him anyway.”

Vinalia laughed lightly. “Well, you could have always found someone else. I doubt there are many revelers here who would have said no to satisfying you after that happened.”

Kallista gave her a sideways grin. “Is that an offer?”

Vinalia laughed. “Well, I hadn’t really meant it that way. Do you want it to be?”

Kallista grinned, but shrugged her shoulders.

“I… don’t know, really.”

“What’s really bothering you, Kallista?” the older woman asked gently, “Did something happen besides that?”

She was good. Maybe too good. Kallista sighed.

“Yeah.” She wasn’t sure exactly how to explain it. “Before all that I… ran into a tiefling.”

Vinalia arched an eyebrow. When it didn’t seem as if Kallista would continue on her own she prompted her gently. 

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Kallista bit her lower lip. 

“I’m not sure I do either. Not completely. I’ve just had… bad experiences with some tiefling men before. Lots of them, actually. I know that things are different now. I know that people here are different than back home. I know, in my head, that Tower is probably a good guy and he just wanted to get to know me. But… I just… I froze. Just seeing him there… in that situation… I could barely breathe.”

Kallista felt the older woman’s hand softly rubbing her shoulder. She was surprised to find that her eyes were beginning to water.

“It’s ok, Kallista,” Vinalia said softly, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. No one here is going to make you do anything.”

“I know that!” Kallista said, starting to sob, “I know and that’s why I feel so... It’s not…”

Vinalia rubbed her back gently as she cried, patiently waiting for her to regain her composure.

“I’m sorry…” the young tiefling said eventually, “This must sound so stupid…”

“Kallista, listen to me. Sometimes our hearts and our minds can know two very different things. You know in your mind that you are safe here, and that no one will hurt you. But your heart doesn’t accept that. And when our hearts and minds disagree, it can be very painful.”

The younger girl merely nodded, wiping away salty tears from her eyes.

“Minds are like the daily cycle of the sun. They change constantly, moving quickly from one state to the next. They are dynamic and agile. Hearts are slow to change, like the phases of the moon. And like the moon, they bear scars. Sometimes those scars heal over time; sometimes they don’t. But sometimes we can help them heal through our actions.”

Kallista looked up at the older woman, her bright yellow eyes gleaming.

“I just want to not be so scared.”

Vinalia nodded and put one hand lightly on the tiefling’s tear-streaked face.

“Then maybe you need to show your heart that it has nothing to fear. It can only learn if you allow it to.”

Kallista blinked.

“You mean… I should… have sex with him?”

Vinalia laughed, but quickly cut herself off by clearing her throat.

“No, not at all,” she said, trying to sound reassuring, “That might be the worst thing you could possibly do right now. But Kallista, there are other ways of getting to know people. Try talking to him first.”

“But what if… what if my mind is wrong? What if there really is something to be afraid of?”

“That’s always possible. There are terrible people in the world. I’m sure you know that. But there are far, far more good people. At least, I’ve always believed so. And I don’t think you have anything to worry about with Tower. He’s a good man.”

Kallista’s eyes opened wide.

“You… you know him?”

“I do. At least, I’m assuming there can’t be too many tieflings named Tower who attend this church. He used to live on the other side of the mountain and attended my temple. He and his wife are good friends of mine.”

“He’s married?” Kallista asked. She was surprised, although she didn’t know why.

Vinalia smiled.

“He is. His wife is a wonderful young woman. They’ve been married… oh, about six years now. They had to move down the mountain after he had a few business setbacks, but they’re good people.”

Kallista nodded, her mind working to process this new information.

“So you really think I should talk to him?”

Vinalia put her hand on Kallista’s.

“Only you can know what you need, Kallista, but you can’t avoid your own people forever. Especially not in a city like Highmark. Sooner or later you’re going to have to deal with your feelings.”

Kallista nodded.

“Thanks,” she said, managing a weak smile, “I think… I think I know what I’m going to do.”

***

It took a while to find him among the teeming crowds, but eventually Kallista managed to spot his curved horns standing above the din. She put her hand lightly on the tall tiefling man’s shoulder and fought the internal urge to run when he turned around and looked down at her with deep black eyes and an expression of pleasant surprise.

“Well hello again.” Tower nodded graciously at Kallista, “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again.”

“Um… hi,” Kallista said, “I... wanted to apologize. For before.”

Tower smiled that dazzling smile of his.

“No apologies needed. I asked and you said no. That’s how it goes. Trust me, I’ve been shot down a lot worse than that in the past. At least you had the courtesy to not sling your drink in my face.”

Kallista couldn’t help smiling at that.

“I just… you reminded me of… someone. Of something. It wasn’t fair to you.”

“It’s not about fair. It’s about what you’re comfortable with.” Tower gestured to the newly repainted empty circle on Kallista’s collarbone. “I notice you changed your mark.”

“Yeah…” Kallista said, blushing slightly, “I thought… I thought maybe it would be better to take things slow for a bit.”

As they spoke, a tall tiefling woman with long, flaming red hair and pale skin approached them carrying two glasses of champagne. 

“Well now…” she said, handing Tower one of the glasses, “Who’s this?”

“Dear, this is the girl I was telling you about earlier. The one who was almost as beautiful as you.”

The taller woman laughed. and nodded at Kallista.

“He’s such a ham. My husband would flatter the horns off a dragon given half a chance. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name’s Ballista.”

Kallista blinked.

“...your name is… Ballista?”

Ballista sighed and put up her hand in half-joking exasperation.

“Yes, like the novels. Dear gods, if I had a copper piece for every time someone mentioned that I share the unfortunate name of a pulp heroine. You have no idea what it’s like to be constantly compared to an idealized fantasy woman.”

Kallista grinned.

“I think I can imagine what that must be like.”

“So did you decide to give my husband here another chance after all?”

“Well…” Kallista said, suddenly not quite sure what to do with her hands, “...sort of. I was hoping to get to know him a little better, actually. And you. The both of you seem like… like good people.”

Tower exchanged a look of amused intrigue with his wife.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked.

Kallista smiled.

“Maybe… coffee? sometime tomorrow? And then we can see what happens from there.”

Ballista grinned at her husband and winked.

“We’d be delighted,” Tower said, “Shall we meet at the coffee house a few blocks down from here? Say around 11? Ballista likes to sleep in after nights like these.”

“That sounds perfect,” Kallista beamed.

Kallista said goodbye to the couple and walked away from them confidently. She thought of looking for Aleyn, but decided that she should be on her own for the moment. With a smile and a fresh glass of punch she wandered off into the teeming crowd, happier than she had been all evening.

 

***

 

For the rest of the night, Aleyn helped Janora at the bar, taking over for her when she took a break around three. It was quieter by the time she returned perhaps an hour later, fewer people looking for drinks and more who were off in their own little worlds, absorbed with their partners or their own thoughts. The music was more subdued as well, better suited to the relaxed mood of this time of night. 

They took the opportunity of the quiet spell to begin to clean things up behind the bar, wiping the polished surface until it was free of sticky spots where drinks had been spilled. Aleyn was growing weary, and looking forward to getting home and falling into bed until at least noon, then maybe seeing Vedran later in the day... He hadn’t seen Kallista for a while, but assumed she had probably found someone to spend the evening with - he hoped enjoyably for all concerned. Vinalia too had disappeared somewhere - maybe she had left, or retired to one of the chambers in the back where important guests sometimes stayed. But he was still keeping an eye out for the young man he’d spoken with earlier. He was worried about how things had turned out for him - he hoped he hadn’t given him the wrong advice.

“You can’t help them all, you know,” Janora told him when he said something about it to her. She sounded more resigned than cynical.

“I know,” Aleyn replied. “It was something he had to do for himself, anyway. I just hope I didn’t do anything to harm him, even if I couldn’t help directly.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” the gnomish woman told him briskly. “If you need to, you can find someone else to do that for you. Maybe even tonight, there’s still time before the dawn ceremony.”

“Actually, I should probably find my friend before then,” Aleyn said. “She might want to see it.” The bar was quiet now except for a few die-hard drinkers, and Janora would be able to handle them without much trouble. 

As he was getting ready to leave, Niyel stumbled back up to the bar, leaning on it heavily with a huge grin. His silvery hair was a mess, and he’d lost his shirt somewhere over the course of the evening. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it back until now,” he said, sounding winded but not in the least bit guilty. “But if you’d seen them, honestly, you wouldn’t blame me. This couple on their first time here, they were so adorable, and they really didn’t want me to leave...”

Janora shoved a mop in his direction. “You’re not too late to finish cleaning up.”

Aleyn chuckled. “I’m glad someone had fun, at least.” Still amused, he set off to look for Kallista.

Although the crowd was thinner by now - plenty of people didn’t stick it out for the entire night - there were still a lot of places she could potentially be. First Aleyn took a quick tour around the main room, scanning for her distinctive look, but didn’t spot her there. Then he checked some of the smaller chambers that branched off from the central hall, still with no luck. In the end, he almost missed her - she was curled up in an alcove, sleeping, in the middle of a pile of pillows, topless and hugging her tail. No one else was snuggled up with her, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything - maybe they had already taken their leave.

Aleyn crouched down beside her and gently patted her on the shoulder. “Hey, K…” 

At first Kallista simply buried her head further into the pile of pillows and moaned, but after a few gentle shakes she lifted her sleep filled eyes enough to look around. She saw Aleyn sitting next to her and smiled blearily.

“Mmmf… what time is it?” she asked.

“Getting close to dawn,” he said. “I thought I’d come find you in case you wanted to see the final part of the ceremony. And, well, even if you don’t, it’s time to start getting ready to leave,” he added with another nudge.

Kallista nodded and pulled herself to a sitting position, stretching unselfconsciously on her nest of pillows. She dug through them for a moment, emerging with her bodice, and began lacing herself up again. After a few moments of awkward adjusting and fiddling she was mostly dressed again, except for one stocking which she could not find anywhere and had to write off as a lost cause.

“At least it’s not the bodice…” she said cheerfully, “Brenn likes this one.”

She yawned and smiled at her friend.

“So how was your evening? Find anyone fun to play with?”

“More ‘interesting to talk to,’” he said, smiling back. “How about you?” he asked, eyeing her disheveled state.

“Oddly enough… pretty much the same.” she said, “But I think it was better that way. Plus I have a date for tomorrow.”

Aleyn grinned. “Think you’ll be able to stay awake for it?” he teased. 

“Well, I got a few hours sleep at least. And it’s a coffee date, so with any luck I’ll be hyper long enough to get home and collapse. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

“There’s a good reason we only do this particular ceremony once a month,” Aleyn said, standing and offering his hand to help her up. “Everyone needs that much time to recover before the next one.”

The assembled guests who were still conscious and ambulatory were beginning to head slowly to the front of the church. Kallista smiled at Aleyn and took his arm as they began heading that way themselves.

“I wanted to thank you, by the way…” she said, “For inviting me. I had a lot of fun. I hope I didn’t cramp your style or anything.”

“Not at all,” he replied. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. And of course you’d be welcome to come back anytime. Bring Brenn, if you like,” he added with a smile. “Or any other friends you think might enjoy it.” He paused for a moment. “But maybe if you decide to bring my sister… it might be time to check out another temple?”

Kallista laughed. “It’s a deal. If I do bring Brenn, that offer I made a while back still stands. You’re always welcome to join us.” She winked at him, only half jokingly.

Aleyn laughed as they made their way out into the great hall of the temple again. “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

The remaining worshipers were gathering around the raised dais again, most looking bleary-eyed but contented. An elderly priest in a blue robe so dark it was nearly black was in the process of mounting the few stairs up to the platform as Aleyn and Kallista joined the crowd. The music, already quiet, faded away completely as he raised his hands. “The full moon has set,” he intoned, his voice carrying over the audience’s murmurings, which quickly fell silent, “but its light remains within each of you. May Sehanine’s blessings be upon all who have celebrated here tonight, and may the shadows that have passed over you continue to guide and protect you as you move out into the sunlit world once more.”

Some people slipped away quietly after that, but many of those gathered turned to one another, exchanging hugs and farewells. Kallista found herself embracing several people she didn't know at all, but no one seemed to mind. She realized as she put her arms around one particularly friendly young priestess that it was Mari, whom she hadn't seen all night. “Next time, hmm?” the girl was saying with a playful grin despite her obvious exhaustion.

“Definitely!” Kallista said as she hugged her tightly and left a quick kiss on the girl’s cheek, "Maybe then I'll actually get a chance to find out what's under those robes of yours."

Aleyn was also bidding his farewells to friends and strangers alike, shaking hands with some, sharing a kiss on the cheek with others, depending on how well he knew them and how friendly they seemed to be. When someone tapped him lightly on the arm, he turned, expecting to see some acquaintance he had overlooked. Instead he came face to face with the sandy-haired young man from earlier that night. “Hi,” he said, smiling shyly, and Aleyn felt an enormous surge of relief - he was alright, or at least he didn’t seem to be utterly despondent. 

“Hi to you too,” Aleyn replied, smiling back. He wanted to ask how things had gone, what had happened with his friend, but it didn’t feel right to pry at this moment. Instead he settled for, “I’m glad to see you again.”

“Yeah, me too,” the young man told him, blushing. “And, um, thank you. For taking the time to talk to me and… and everything.” 

“It was no trouble.” Even as Aleyn was saying it, the boy was reaching out to embrace him. Of course he followed suit, giving him a rib-cracking hug in return. “You can come back anytime you want - whether you want to talk more, or anything else.”

“Thanks,” he replied. “I might. Or maybe… we might.” 

Aleyn took that as a promising sign. Finally they pulled apart, wishing one another well, and the young man turned to go. As he walked away, another boy about his age, dark-haired, stepped out of the crowd to join him. Aleyn watched them go, secretly hoping that maybe they would join hands, or give him some other sign that they were together as more than just friends, but there was nothing quite that obvious. They were talking, though, and they seemed happy, not like they were arguing or upset with one another. That would have to be good enough for now, Aleyn thought, smiling to himself with a sort of melancholy pride. 

He felt someone take hold of his elbow and looked down to see Kallista holding their cloaks, which she had retrieved from the cloak room. She nodded towards the doorway.

“C’mon, big guy. I’m sure Vedran and Brenn are waiting for us.”

They walked out into the gathering daylight arm in arm. They were both tired, disheveled, and bleary, but they were also satisfied. Even if it hadn't been quite what either of them had expected at the start of the evening, it had turned out to be what they both needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to Measured_Words for betaing and for moral support. Also, for the "I’d like to try to make them" line ;)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Second Try](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1951182) by [Nary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary)




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